How to Tie Line to a Fishing Reel

All photos by the author

An angler who purchases a brand new reel or someone who desires to replace old fishing line with a newer, more reliable spool needs to learn the arbor knot. The arbor knot gets its name from the part of the fishing reel that the line actually wraps around--the arbor. It is a simple knot for anyone who has the ability to make knots as uncomplicated as those used to tie shoes.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

fishing reel fishing line line snippers
fishing reel
fishing line
line snippers

Step 1

Check to see if your arbor comes off the reel. If you have a spinning-type reel, you may have a feature that allows you to remove the arbor from the central part of the reel, which will make this entire process much easier. Refer to the instructions with your reel or look for a push-button on the top of the arbor that, when depressed, lets the arbor pop out.

Step 2

Thread the line down through every single one of the rod guides on your fishing rod. Spin-casting rods possess the guides on the bottom of the pole, while bait-casting rod guides sit on the upper side. Be sure you get the line threaded through the rounded guide openings and not where there is an opening next to the support wire where the guide attaches to the pole.

Step 3

The bail arm.

Open the bail arm on a spinning pole or thread the fishing through the level wind on a bait-casting reel. Failing to do this will cause the reel not to pick up line when you turn the handle. Pass the fishing line around the arbor on your reel. Give yourself plenty of line with which to work after you pass it around the arbor so you can tie the knot.

Step 4

Take the free end of the fishing line and tie an overhand knot around the line coming down from the rod guides and into the reel. An overhand knot is the same type that you use when you begin to tie your shoes. It resembles the shape of a pretzel before you tighten it. Do not tighten the overhand knot that you tied.

Step 5

Tie another overhand knot in the free end of the line where it emerges from your initial overhand knot. Tighten this overhand knot but do not pull on the free end to tighten the first one.

Step 6

Line snippers.

Pull on the free end to tighten the original overhand knot once you complete the second one. The second knot will keep the free end from being able to slip through the first one, which would cause the knot to unravel. Trim the extra line emerging from the second knot with your line snippers.

Step 7

Reattach the arbor to your spinning pole if you removed it. Make sure the bail arm is open so when you close it the arm will gather line. If you did not remove the arbor, flip the bail arm down and begin to gather line from the new spool by turning the handle of your reel.

Article Written By John Lindell

John Lindell has written articles for "The Greyhound Review" and various other online publications. A Connecticut native, his work specializes in sports, fishing and nature. Lindell worked in greyhound racing for 25 years.

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